Coral culture for small scale reef rehabilitation in Mauritius

Coral culture for small scale reef rehabilitation in Mauritius

Implementing organisation: 
Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI)
Type of implementing organization: 
Government ministries, departments & institutions
Project(s) linked to: 
WIOSAP
Country of implementation: 
Mauritius
Key institutions which will be directly involved in the project: 
Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI), Ministry of Social Security National Solidarity and Environment and Sustainable Development - Mauritius, National Coast Guard - Mauritius, Fisheries Protection Service (NCG) - Mauritius, Registered Fishermen Associations (RFA) - Mauritius, Albion Fisheries Research Center, NGOs
Duration of project: 
2 Years
Tags : 
Coral reefs, Coral culture, climate change
Objectives of project: 
A. Overall objective 
 
To mitigate the impact of climate change on coastal communities by implementing coral reef restoration initiatives using selected resilient corals 
 
B. Immediate objectives 
 
a) To set-up of sea-based demonstration farms for culture of selected resilient corals for rehabilitation of degraded reef sites. 
 
b) To train stakeholders and coastal communities in coral culture and reef rehabilitation techniques hence providing additional skills to the communities. 
 
c) To strengthen environmental awareness of the community, to emphasize the significance and conservation aspects of corals and coral reefs.


Over the past decade, the Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI) has successfully developed and optimized locally adapted techniques for culture of corals on-land and at sea for conservation purposes. Building on these results, the MOI recently initiated in 2017 a community based coral culture project in the Republic of Mauritius. This three-year project  aims at training and building capacity of coastal communities (including fishers) in coral culture and reef rehabilitation techniques. The project also coincides with the Government initiative of “Promoting coral culture as an alternative livelihood for fisherman and coastal communities for conservation of marine biodiversity”. Currently, the project is being implemented at four sites around the island, with approximately 110 community members benefiting from training under a “Coral Culture Training Programme”. The project which is expected to be completed by end 2020, will be extended until 2022 through acquisition of funding through the WIO-SAP grant. The 2-year extension of the project will be for implementation of project activities at three additional earmarked sites around Mauritius, with targeted training of additional 60 community members. 

Download project proposal: 
PDF icon Coral culture for small scale reef rehabilitation.pdf